


The Maze Killer

by lovelessgeneration



Category: The Maze Runner (Movies), The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types, The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Horror Movie, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Serial Killers, Attempt at Humor, Detectives, Explicit Language, First Kiss, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, MTV Scream Inspired, Major Character Injury, My First AO3 Post, Original Character(s), Parallels, Past Relationship(s), Possible Character Death, Possible POV Change(s), Protective Minho, Sassy Newt, Sassy Teresa, Scream Inspired, Slow Build, Suggestive Themes, awkward thomas, small town, thomas pov
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-01
Updated: 2017-08-04
Packaged: 2018-12-09 17:04:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11673399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovelessgeneration/pseuds/lovelessgeneration
Summary: Thomas Murphy and his family move into a mysterious town filled with dark and dangerous secrets. When a series of murders hit, most surrounding Thomas and his new friends, the town is reminded of past tragedies that have plagued residents for 30 years. No one is safe.





	1. Welcome to Ivywood

**Author's Note:**

> Prelude? I guess...

Thomas Murphy looked down to his phone on his way to school. His new school. For some reason, he was really nervous. But why? He wasn't new to transferring schools. His father always moved him and his mom around a handful of times, due to his job. His father, William Murphy, worked for a prestigious technology company as an executive manager. Or was it as a regional manager? Thomas would always forget. 

Maybe he was nervous because it was right in the middle of the school year? Or maybe because of the rumors he heard before he moved here? Or was it just because he forgot to charge his phone this morning, and it was stuck at sixteen percent? All of these questions floated around Thomas’s head, and before he knew it, he was standing at the front doors of Wicked High.

Wicked High, Thomas pondered.

It was a weird name for a high school. Maybe it stood for something? Something that Thomas thought was really weird was their school’s mascot, a griever. Upon looking up what a griever was, he found disturbing images of a robotic flea-like bug with appendages of a spider. 

Yup. Really weird.

Well at least the school is pretty nice, Thomas thought as he was walking through the main hallway. Though a little old, Wicked High had a certain charm to it. The walls were an eggshell white with large navy blue and gold lockers facing opposite to each other in the hallways. As he walked past a few classrooms, they looked bright and spacious. A few students loitered in the halls, perhaps getting an early start on the day.

Thomas stepped through the main office’s doors, he was greeted by a middle-aged woman with black hair tied neatly into a bun.

“Morning, you must be Thomas?” she said semi-enthusiastically.

Thomas nodded.

“Alright, I'm gonna go print your schedule, and I'll tell Mr. Dashner you're here,” she said while typing something into the large computer screen in front of her.

Thomas sat down in the chair closest to the front desk. The office, like the classrooms, were pretty large. Behind the woman in the front desk were three more rooms, the middle one bigger than the other two.

Suddenly, a girl with long, black hair came rushing into the main office, tripping over his bag. 

She turned to Thomas, wide-eyed, “Shit! Sorry, dude!”

The lady manning the front desk said, without her eyes leaving the computer screen, “Language! Please!”

The girl let out an uneasy chuckle and said to the woman, “Yeah, yeah. Coach sent me to give these to you.” and gestured to the folder she had in her hands.

“Ahhhh, I see. Thank you.”

“No problemo.” she said as she turned, glancing at Thomas before leaving the room. He noticed she was sporting a cheerleading uniform.

“Thomas Murphy,” a man wearing glasses and a suit said from over the counter, “I'm Principal Dashner.”

Thomas stood up, “Uh-hello sir,” he stuttered, “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise. Welcome to Wicked. I'll show you around, before class starts.”

 

•••

“Please welcome your new classmate, Thomas Murphy,” Principal Dashner announced to the class, while Thomas stood in the front.

His chemistry class was his first class of the day. There were no more than twenty-five students in the room, including himself. Everyone was situated with a partner, with the exception of one student in the back.

He was a tall, muscled Asian who wore a navy blue sweatshirt with the word ‘Wicked’ on it. His hair was black and styled, so it would swoop up. The student then locked eyes with Thomas.

Fuck, did he catch me staring?

“Thomas, if you have any questions or issues, the office is always open,” Principal Dashner whispered to him, and Thomas nodded. Without another word, the principal left the classroom.

“Alright, Thomas. Please take a seat with Minho over there,” his teacher said in a monotone voice, “Okay, class, let's get started. It's a new year, so I expect new study habits. Your final exams were awful.” Thomas started to make his way to the tables, looking for the boy named Minho.

Minho, Minho, wait. It’s him!

Minho was the tall, muscled Asian who he was previously staring at. He slightly raised his hand, so he could catch Thomas’s attention.

Was this official? Are we officially lab partners? If so, thank God, Thomas thought.

As he was about to reach the end of the classroom, he stumbled into something unknown, but heavy, causing him to fall. Loudly. A loud roar of laughter soon followed, as Thomas nursed the knee he landed on.

Fan-fucking-tastic, Thomas thought.

As he stood, he turned to his right. The taller boy who most likely tripped him snickered and said to Thomas, “Whoops, sorry bro.” He then leaned into Thomas and whispered, “Welcome to Wicked, fuckface,” followed by an obnoxious laugh right in Thomas’s face.

Thomas was about to say something, but was interrupted by the loud voice of their teacher, “Enough, enough, everyone. Please, let’s just get started.”

What the fuck? Was Rat Man not going to say anything?, Thomas thought as he took his seat, face red with anger and embarrassment.

Welcome to Wicked…

He looked at the culprit. He was practically a giant, at least five inches taller than Thomas’s 5’8”. He had dirty blonde hair, paired with an odd looking nose.

After he got settled into his desk, he felt a nudge on his arm, “Don't worry about Gally over there,” Minho softly spoke, “He's the fuckface.”

Thomas turned to face Minho, and his heartbeat quickened. Minho was quite literally a breath-taker. His lips were nice and pink, and his jawline was clearly defined. His skin was olive-colored, and his face had a few beauty marks. His dark brown eyes bored into Thomas’s, and Thomas could feel himself flush.

Minho wasn’t cute. He also wasn’t hot. He was gorgeous. 

“...So that's a yes?” Thomas’s train of thought was interrupted by Minho’s deep voice.

“H-huh,” Thomas spoke meekly, “What was that?”

Minho grinned, “I asked if you were alright.”

“Yeah, yes, yup. Totally fine, thanks,” 

Say something back, idiot! Keep the conversation going, Thomas pleaded with himself.

Thomas said quickly, “What about you?”

Minho raised his eyebrows and after a few seconds said, “Yeah, I’m great,” then turns to face forward, still grinning, “Welcome to Ivywood.”

How long was I staring?... I hope it wasn't long.

For the rest of the period, Thomas sat anxious in his stool. Mr. Rat Man (also known as Mr. Janson) lectured about chemical compounds.

 

•••

The school bell rang, signaling that second period was finished, and it was time for lunch. Thomas’s mom packed him a sandwich and some fruits. Being the new guy, he didn't have anyone to sit with, so he found an empty table outside. Due to the January snow, very few people sat outside. Thomas didn't mind. He liked the snow, especially because winter was his favorite season. The calm, white snow was peaceful. As long as he was properly dressed for the weather, his mom would let him stay out for as long as he liked.

Halfway through his sandwich, he felt a small poke in his stomach. Turning around, he didn't see anyone.

Huh?

Returning to his table, he saw someone sit directly in front of him. It was a plump boy who was probably a couple inches shorter than him, with dark curly hair. He sat with his lunch tray nearly empty.

“Hiya,” he spoke, “Thomas, right?”

“Yeah,” Thomas replied, “Who are you?”

“Chuck.”

He looks familiar.

“Hiya, Chuck,” Thomas pointed to him with his sandwich, “You're the kid in my chem class…”

Chuck nodded, “And you're the new kid that got tripped by Gally. Welcome to Ivywood, by the way, how’s it treating you?”

Thomas nodded, as they continued to talk. Apparently, Chuck is a freshman who is a regular target of Gally’s bullying. Gally likes to tease him because he's the only freshman in their class.

“Why are you in so many junior classes?” Thomas questioned.

“My parents like me being in advanced classes,” he finishes the food on his tray, “Frankly, I don't get why Gally likes to make fun of that.”

“Neither can I. I wish I could handle advanced classes,” Thomas said as he took a large gulp of his water.

It turns out Thomas and Chuck completely headed off. They continued to have long, pointless discussions, while Thomas continued eating. Thomas felt like he was talking to an old friend, which was odd considering they just met. Afterwards, the bell rang for the final period of the day. Without a word, Chuck quickly took his tray and scurried off. Thomas cleaned up his trash, leaving behind the cold winter air.

 

•••

Thomas had a bad habit of falling asleep during the last periods of his high school career. He checked the large clock hanging on the wall, just as he woke up. Ten more minutes until the bell. He looked around. Turns out the whole class was just as dead as he was. Their English teacher was out for the day, and the sub played a random movie.

As he was getting ready for the bell, he heard a girl’s voice call him. He couldn't really tell who, since the lights were switched off for the movie.

“Thomas!”

Then again, but louder.

“Thomas!”

He turned his back and there was that girl this morning from the office. The bell rang and everyone stood up. The girl rushed over to Thomas and put her hand on his arm.

“You're Thomas, right?” she spoke with an edge of confidence.

“Yup. And you are?”

She flipped her hair vivaciously, “My name is Teresa.”

“Lovely to meet you.” Thomas said as they walked out of the classroom

Thomas examined Teresa. She was around the same height as him, maybe a little shorter, with bright blue eyes and very pale skin, which contrasted with her dark red lipstick.They exchanged pleasantries until they reached outside. 

“Where do you live?” Teresa inquired.

Thomas breathed through the cold air, “A couple of blocks from here.” 

Teresa nodded, “I live around there too, why don't we walk together, neighbor?”

Why is she being so friendly?

“Sure,” he replied.

Halfway to their street, Teresa asked, “How was your first day?”

“It was okay, nothing special,” he looked over at her, she was fluffing out her hair.

“Nothing special, huh,” she stopped and looked at him, “Well, let's make it special.”

She grabbed a pen from her jacket and grabbed his hand. On his palm she wrote down a single phone number and a street address.

“My friends and I are heading to this spot where we like to hang out at, you should come,” she brushed some snow off her hair, “It’ll be fun.”

Thomas wasn't sure. He saw who Teresa hung out with during lunch. A few other cheerleaders and jocks, one of which included Gally.

“No offense, but why are you being so nice to me? I mean, we barely know each other,” Thomas questioned. She turned her head, like a curious puppy would.

“Can’t the girl next door be nice to the new guy? I’m trying to give you the big Ivywood welcome!”

“Technically, you aren’t next door. An old lady lives next door to me.”

She turned to him once more, “Okay, I’m basically asking you for a ride. None of my girls can take me. Plus, I need a DD.”

Designated driver? Yikes, it’s gonna be that kind of party, Thomas thought.

“I don't know…” he scratched his head.

Maybe Minho will be there.

“What time?” he questioned.

“Around nine. So you’re in?”

He looked at his palm. The phone number is probably hers. The address… It isn't a long way from home.

“Well–”

“Great! Just call me, kay?” Teresa spinned and ran off to a house he presumed was hers.

Maybe Minho will be there.  
Maybe he won't.

At nine, he called Teresa and told her he would pick her up soon. She was all excited on the phone, and she kept telling him he was going to have a ton of fun. Five minutes later, he pulled up to her house.

First week and you’re already getting into crazy shit, huh?


	2. The Glade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas discovers something dark while at Teresa's "party".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Typing this on Google Docs, and I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO USE BOLDS ON ITALICS ON AO3, SO DON'T HATE ME.

The drive to the party was long and cold, despite the the car’s heater being on. The wheels of Thomas’s car crunched under the snow as they parked where the other cars parked at this seemingly deserted location. Even though it was dark, Thomas saw everything: a clear opened area that continued to slope down and was shrouded by bushes if you were to drive by. Beyond the space was a large lake that was completely frozen over, and a dense thicket surrounded the water.

“Hellooooooo,” Teresa yelled out, “It’s meeeeeee!”

Deafening silence spoke back to them as they walked down the slope. Thomas looked at Teresa, and Teresa sighed.

“They’re probably at the house,” she started, “Come on.”

“The house?” Thomas replied, eyebrows raised, “There’s a house around here?”

Teresa’s only response was a motioning arm, and he followed her. Instead of going down the gradual slope, they went left. After a few minutes, Thomas could see what she was talking about. It was an old, gray, country-styled house with the steps to the front porch broken. Thomas and Teresa jumped off the slope and walked closer to the house. 

Upon a more detailed inspection, the house was pretty beat up. The front door was torn off its hinges and laid down on the floor of the entrance. All of the windows were either slightly cracked or completely broken. Mostly the latter.

They stood at the front doorway. Inside was only pitch black. Teresa got her phone out and switched on her flashlight, and Thomas did the same. 

“Hello?” she tried once more, “Are you shanks here?”

Again, no response.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she said more to whoever was in the darkness then to Thomas as they both stepped inside the house, “I don’t like games, you guys!”

Just then, Teresa’s phone started to ring. She looked at Thomas with an annoyed expression and answered it.

“Hello?” she said, tired.

Without warning, Thomas saw in the faint darkness, a figure cover Teresa’s mouth while another arm lifted her into the air. Thomas heard Teresa’s muffled screams as the unknown person carried her further into the house.

“Hey! Someone, help!” Thomas yelled as ran towards Teresa.

Going up to the second floor, Teresa continued to scream and wiggle her way out of the stranger’s grasp. As soon as Thomas got a clear shot, he ran, full-force, and tackled the intruder to the floor. Teresa elbowed the man, causing him to release her from his arm. Thomas grabbed a loose piece of wood, which seemed to be the remains of an old table, and threw his arm back to swing at the attacker when he felt another arm restrain him.

“Calm down, it was just a prank! It’s a prank!” the boy holding him back pleaded.

He looked behind him, and a shorter boy with wavy, blonde hair stood, his hands still on Thomas’s arm. The boy then looked behind Thomas to the stranger and sighed. 

“On second thought, bruv,” he said with a strong British accent, “Go ahead, he deserves a few wacks, eh?”

Thomas squinted, “Huh?”

The man who attacked Teresa stood up and took off his hood.

Holy shit! It’s that guy from class! 

Gally yelled, face red with anger, “Dude, what the fuck?”

He was started towards Thomas, but Teresa interjected, pushing Gally back, “Gally? What the hell?”

There was a long silence. Thomas could feel Teresa’s rage pouring out of her body.

“Slap him, slap him, slap him,” the blonde boy chanted, “Please.”

•••

 

Thomas stood near the bank of the frozen lake, talking to the boy with the British accent named Newt. Turns out, the whole prank was just to freak Teresa out, but Gally didn’t know Thomas had tagged along. A few other people that Thomas didn’t know stood nearby, talking in small clusters. He saw Minho in the corner of his eye talking to two girls several feet to his right. Teresa and Gally were back at the old house, yelling, by the sound of it. Apparently, Teresa and Gally were going steady.

“I wouldn’t peg them as a couple,” Thomas spoke.

“You’re not the only one, Tommyboy,” Newt replied nonchalantly.

A few minutes later, Minho and the two girls he was talking to chimed into their conversation. The first girl he noticed had very short, dark brown hair that was covered by a knitted cap. The second girl looked very similar to Newt with her matching blonde hair. Maybe they were siblings?

“Fun party, huh?” Minho spoke, eyes locked on Thomas, “Thomas, meet Brenda and Sonya.”

Thomas waved, “Nice to meet you.”

“Same,” Brenda smiled, “Welcome to the Glade, shank.”

Thomas’s eyebrows furrowed, “The Glade?”

Sonya nodded her head, “Yup. Doesn’t it look like one?”

Thomas looked around, examining the area once more. This is a pretty cool hangout, he thought. He took notice of the newly lit fire pit off to the corner of the Glade where a few other people sat with drinks in their hands.

“Let’s join in,” Minho said, putting his hand on Thomas’s shoulder, “I’m in the mood for smores.”

The only thing Thomas could do was tense up to Minho’s touch and nod his head. Minho smirked and led the group to the bonfire, leaving Thomas completely dumbfounded. He blinked himself back to reality and followed, trailing behind Brenda.

That smirk… 

Thomas sat on an old lawn chair next to Newt, who was busy admiring the fire in front of them. Beyond the fire, he saw Teresa and Gally pop out of the woods. Teresa had a tight face on, while Gally lugged behind her, his eyes fixed on Thomas. He felt a few hairs stand on the back of his neck as the couple took their seats around the bonfire. A boy who sat next to Teresa passed her a red solo cup, and without missing a beat, she downed the drink.

“Everyone,” Teresa announced, “Meet the new guy, Thomas Murphy.”

Thomas felt the eyes as Teresa continued to talk, “Now, I think it would be best if everyone said ‘Hi’ to our new friend here.”

For some reason, Thomas felt really awkward as the people who he didn’t know the names of stood up individually to introduce themselves. Thomas also noticed how anxious some of Teresa’s friends acted. It was almost as if they were afraid of her. His eyes drifted towards her again, and he saw that she had a disinterested expression on her face.

I guess that prank was a complete mood killer for not only her, but for a few of them too, Thomas thought.

After the introductions, a dark skinned boy named Alby opened the bag he had with him and threw a bag of marshmallows directly to Newt’s face. A few chuckles were exchanged, and the time for smores had commenced. Another boy to Thomas’s right, who was called Frypan, passed him some graham crackers and a few pieces of Hershey’s chocolate. Despite the earlier tension, the hangout seemed to be headed in the right direction. 

Time passed as the group huddled around the bonfire while having their own separate conversations. Well almost everyone, because Thomas felt it was too late to join into any subgroup. He felt weird if he butted into Minho and Newt’s intense conversation about who was the better character in a TV show, even though he really wanted to talk to Minho. If he joined Frypan, he would have to face the the obnoxiousness that is Gally. Thomas swore, he could still feel Gally’s eyes on him.

“What have you, Tommy?” Newt said to Thomas, “Who’s the better detective? Jasper or Evan?”

Thomas turned and stared at the both of them, thankful for the invitation. Sure, Thomas knew what TV show they were talking about, but he’d only seen a few episodes. The show was called ‘Holmes’, and it was about Sherlock Holmes’s great grandson, Jasper Holmes, trying to investigate the disappearance of his parents with his friend, Evan. Though intriguing, Thomas was too lazy of a person to watch weekly.

“Well, I’ve only seen a few episodes, but,” Thomas started while glancing at the two boys, “Isn’t it in Jasper’s blood to be just as good of detective as Sherlock?”

Minho burst out into a prideful laughter, “See, I told you!”

“But he didn’t even watch season two!” Newt protested, “It’s not an accurate opinion. Plus, we don’t even know if he’s a legit descendant of Sherlock!”

“Wow, thanks for the spoiler!” Thomas replied, and the three burst into a laughter that overpowered almost everyone’s chatter around them.

“Hey, Minny’s got the whole series so far at his house if you guys wanna,” Newt paused, then cleared his throat, “Netflix and chill.”

Thomas literally felt his whole face turn red as Newt started to laugh once more. Minho shoved Newt’s shoulder, and Thomas saw that Minho looked away from Thomas. He could’ve sworn he saw Minho blush, but he couldn’t tell with only the fire and the moon illuminating their faces.

A few drunken teens and burnt marshmallows later, Teresa’s friend, Harriet, stood up with a red solo cup in her hand. Everybody seemed to notice her and their conversations quietly faded. Thomas assumed she was about to make a speech of some sort.

“Guys, I just wanna say how great it was to hang out with all of you again. I know we haven’t done this since Beth–,” she choked, “I, I just wanna make a toast to our friend.”

Harriet raised her cup in the air and everyone followed along. Thomas could see multiple tears running down her face. Thomas looked around and everyone had sad looks on their face, which made him curious.

What happened to this Beth?

Harriet spoke again, “She didn’t deserve any of that shit. Beth, rest in peace.”

There was a long silence, and afterwards a few mumbled prayers for Beth. Except Brenda, who sat with a cup in her hand, staring at the fire. She seemed unfazed towards the toast, like she didn’t care at all.

All of a sudden, Brenda spoke, “More like, ‘rest in pieces’.”

Immediate silence again. This time, Thomas felt the tension in the air, it was almost tangible. All eyes were on Brenda as she finally took her eyes off of the fire and poured her drink on the ground in front of her. 

“Honestly,” Brenda raised her voice, “She sort of deserved it.”

Another pause, but Harriet quickly interjected, “How can you say that?”

Brenda laughed, “She was a bitch. She only cared about herself and treated the rest of us like shit!”

“That’s not the point! She didn’t deserve that!” Harriet yelled, borderline hysterical, “No one deserves that…”

“That’s enough,” Sonya stood up and turned to Brenda, “She was killed for Christ’s sake.”  
The words that were exchanged were an immediate party killer and everyone silently agreed to end things. A few moments passed and everyone started to head home. Thomas and Teresa were one of the last ones to leave the Glade.

The car ride back to their neighborhood was quiet. Teresa was either too drunk or too uncomfortable to talk about what happened. Probably both. Thomas had several questions, but he couldn’t put them into words. It didn’t matter anyway, he wouldn’t want to ask. At least not now.

•••

Thomas felt a sort of uneasiness that next day at school. He saw a few people from the party throughout his day, like Alby, Sonya, and Newt. They would just smile and wave at him, but Thomas could tell they felt what he was feeling too. Maybe they felt more anxious than he did.

His second period of the day was almost over, and Thomas was hungry. He was wondering what his mom packed him for lunch. He made a mental note to appreciate her more, because Thomas knew he couldn’t make lunch for himself everyday. Just then, he got a text from Teresa.

Teresa: Toms! Join us for lunch?

Thomas thought about it, but he decided he still needed some space from them. And answers. But he didn’t want to ask Teresa or any of her friends. He didn’t want to remind them about last night, but he knew that was inevitable. 

Thomas: Can’t. Meeting with a friend…  
Teresa: Gotcha, Mr. Popular.  
Thomas: Tomorrow?  
Teresa: Def. See ya later!  
Thomas: Ok.

When the bell rang for lunch, Thomas rushed outside. He was hoping to avoid anyone from last night, and he succeeded. He sat outside again at the same table as yesterday. Even though he was hungry, he waited. He waited for Chuck. 

After a few minutes, he felt a familiar poke in his stomach. It was Chuck, holding a tray and making his way to sit across Thomas. Would Chuck know what happened? He figured he didn’t think this through and sighed sighed.

Here it goes.

“Chuck, who is Beth?” he asked in a hushed tone, “And what happened to her?”

Chuck quickly looked up and stared at Thomas. At that moment, Thomas knew he knew about Beth. Chuck dropped his fork down on the tray and wiped his mouth with a napkin. As Chuck spoke, Thomas felt snow fall on top of his head, but he didn’t move an inch. He just listened to what Chuck knew about Beth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this was way more eventful than the first chapter, but you know, this whole fanfic is a work in progress.
> 
> Thanks and stay tuned!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope this was decent and worth reading! Sorry for the slow start. This is still my first fanfiction, and I hope my writing can only get better from here. More to come, so stay tuned...
> 
> (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧


End file.
